An investigation of the effectiveness of an assessment -linked study skills intervention on homework completion and accuracy

Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorder, affecting 3--5% of the school-aged population (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). In addition to behavioral and social difficulties, children with ADHD often experience academic failure. Effectively educating students with ADHD is a growing concern for educators and parents. Children with ADHD often leave their homework or books at school, fail to complete homework, do not stay seated in class, do not remain on-task, and fail to listen to adult instructions. As a result, these students' homework completion and accuracy rates decline. Research indicates that students need explicit study strategies to enable them to succeed in school. Students with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity (ADHD) often lack critical study skills that are essential for academic success. Unfortunately, instruction in study skills is frequently neglected and not taught in classrooms because school personnel assume that students will master these skills independently. The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of study skills intervention for eleven and twelve year-old males with ADHD. The intervention established a direct link between study skills assessment and intervention. A concurrent multiple baseline across participants was utilized to determine the effectiveness of the study skills intervention on homework completion and accuracy. Results indicated that although a functional relationship between the study skills intervention and homework completion and accuracy was not established, participants rated the experience positively, stating that they would be likely to use the strategies again in the future; students mastered the study skills after a follow-up period and demonstrated an increase in schoolwork organization.